Top lift



April 12,1949. w. WOOD, JR 2,467,247

I TOP LIFT Original Filed May 18, 1944 l'IlIIlII/Il.

- 'r-roe ve'x Patented Apr. 12, 1949 TOP LIFT William Wood, Jr., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Substituted for abandoned application Serial No 536,169, May 18, 1944 26., 1947, Serial No. 759,510. In Canada October 7 Claims.

My invention relates to top lifts.

The top lift of the present invention is particularly adapted for ladies shoes having covered heels which, as is known, call for thin or shallow top lifts.

The principal feature of the lift of the present invention is that it has substantially the appearance of the usual all-leather lift but has two very important properties which an all-leather lift lacks, namely, it is resilient or shock-ab sorbent and is comparatively noiseless.

Another feature is that the lift is held against lateral displacement on the heel and prevents theherel block from breaking off at the corners.

These desirable features of the lift are attained by a composite lift which ombines a tread member or lift proper made of leather, or of a material simulating leather, and a thin layer of rubber, preferably springy rubber, securely adhered to the tread member, and a thin member of preferably vulcanized fibre board, preferably securely adheredto the rubber member. The tread member is intended toabsorb wear, while the rubber member is intended to act as acushion, the fibre member serving to hold the lift against lateral displacement as well as to facilitate trimming after application :to the heel. Furthermore, the fibre member serves to add rigidity to the lift as a whole, and to prevent the heel block from breaking off at the corners. Moreover, a composite lift so made can be worn right down to the fibre member and in fact the fibre member is also capable of absorbing part of the wear.

The preferred form of my invention is best illustrated in the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a top lift in position on the heel of a ladys shoe;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the lift; and,

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Referring now by numerals to the drawings, A is the heel block of a typical ladys covered heel shoe and B is the top lift.

The top lift comprises a lift or tread member I0, preferably leather, of less than the usual thickness of the usual all-leather lift. As about one quarter of the thickness of the usual allleather lift is comprised of loose structure or fibres, known as flesh, which has no wearing properties, such flesh is preferably split off or removed. Cemented or otherwise adhered to the split side of the leather piece I0, is a thin piece ll of rubber, preferably springy rubber. A thin piece or member l2, preferably of vulcanized fibre board, is applied between the rubber member and the heel. This member is preferably an integral This. application May part of the rubber member, and to this. end, it

may be cemented or otherwise adhered.v to the rubber member.

In practice, I find that a satisfactory andv effi cient lift, according to my invention, may be obtained by using a leather piece (after splitting as aforesaid) of about 5 irons (or gauge), therubber member being about 2 irons (or gauge), while the fibre member is about 1 iron (orgauge). Thus, the combined thickness of all three members is approximately 9. irons (or gauge), that is, about equal to the thickness required in an all-leather lift for best appearance and adaptability to trimming machines.

The fibre used is preferably made as follows.

An uneven number of sheets of paper are first rolled into a vulcanized fibre board and calendered, the middle or centre sheet being of harder and less porous paper. As the middle sheet'is less. porous, it will absorb less of the vulcanizing solution and will remain relatively softer, so that the vulcanized fibre member will split easily through the middle sheet, and when so split, will present an uneven surface and one having loose fibres. The surface will therefore adhere well to the sponge rubber piece.

The top lift is fastened to the heel block as with the usual nails I4.

It will be seen that the lift is not appreciably thicker than, if as thick as, the usual all-leather lift, nor is it very unlike such all-leather lift, notwithstanding the use of rubber and fibre as elements or parts of the composite lift. Thus, the lift has for all practical purposes, the appearance of an all-leather lift which is one very much in demand. On the other hand, the lift has decided advantages not possessed by the usual all-leather lift. For instance, it is resilient, comparatively noiseless, easier and pleasanter to wear, and does not fray so much at the edges. It is also sufficiently rigid usually not to cause the corners of the heel block to break off. The usual life of the lift is increased, since it can be worn through the leather and the rubber, as well as through part of the fibre.

What I claim is:

1. A top lift adapted to be fastened to a covered heel block of a womans shoe, comprising a leather member forming the tread of the lift, a resilient member on one face of said leather member, said resilient member being appreciably thinner than said leather member, and a member of fibre board on one face of said resilient member and being appreciably thinner than said leather member, all such members being adhered 3 into a composite lift unit for application to the heel.

2. As a top lift applied to a heel as with nails or the like, the combination of a leather member forming the tread of the lift, a member of springy rubber adhered to one face of said leather member and forming therewith a composite unit, said rubber member being appreciably thinner than said leather member, and a member of fibre board on one face of said rubber member, said fibre member being appreciably thinner than said leather member.

3. A top lift adapted to be fastened to a covered heel block of a womans shoe, comprising a member forming the tread of the lift, a resilient member on one face of said first member and being of a thickness appreciably less than that of said first member, and a third member of relatively stiff material on one face of said resilient member of a thickness appreciably less than that of said first member, all of said members being of substantially the same area and being adhered together as a composite lift, said third member being of a material which will trim easily so that the lift may conform to the size of the heel after the lift has been fastened to the heel.

4. A top lift adapted to be fastened to a covered heel block of a womans shoe, comprising a member forming the tread of the lift, a resilient member on one face of said first member and being of a thickness appreciably less than that of said first member, and a member of fibre board on one face of said resilient member of a thickness appreciably less than that of said first member adapted to lie adjacent the heel, all of said members being substantially of the same area and being adhered together as a composite lift.

5. A composite top lift adapted to be fastened to a covered heel block of a womans shoe, comprising a member forming the tread of the lift, a thin resilient member adhered to the face of said first member which is remote from its ground-engaging face adapted to provide cushioning means between said first member and the heel block while permitting substantially no relative parallel displacement of said members when one is walking upon the lift, and a thin third member of relatively stiff material adhered to said second member, all of said three members being of substantially the same area.

6. In a composite top lift adapted to be fastened to a covered heel block of a woman's shoe, comprising a leather tread member, a member of a rubbery substance adhered to the face of said tread member which is remote from its groundengaging face, said member being of a thickness appreciably less than that of said tread member and being adapted to provide cushioning means between said tread member and the heel block while not permitting substantial relative parallel displacement of said two members as when one is walking upon the lift, and a member of relatively stiff material adhered to said second member, said third member being of a thickness appreciably less than that of said tread member,

all of said three members being of substantially REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,199,811 Wood, Jr May 7, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 100,451 Great Britain May 8, 1916 229,884

Great Britain Mar. 5, 1925 

